India, Oct. 21 -- On Monday, 15-year-old Yash Khot succumbed to his burn injuries from a major fire in his Cuffe Parade tenement at Machhimar Nagar the previous night.

In a festive mood on Sunday night, he and his brother Viraj (13), cousin Sangram Kurne (25) and neighbour Devendra Choudhary (30) had decided to spend the whole night playing cards and Housie. Three batteries from the family's EV vehicles were charging in the room as the youths busied themselves with their games. A couple of hours into their merry-making, a blast occurred in the room, tuning the cheery atmosphere into a nightmare.

The Khot family ran an ice business, supplying restaurants, fisherfolk and juice stalls. "Earlier, they made the deliveries using a cycle," sai...